How the Reality Winner case is a 'cautionary tale' for journalists

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By Jackie Wattles

A New York Times reporter who is well-versed in dealing with anonymous sources and leaking has some advice for journalists: Be more careful.

Pulitzer Prize winner Adam Goldman called the case of a former government contractor who could now face prison time for allegedly leaking classified information to the media a "cautionary tale" for reporters and whistle blowers.

Winner was arrested June 3. She is accused of leaking a top-secret memo that details an effort by Russian intelligence to hack into a U.S. voting software supplier before last year's election. She faces up to 10 years in prison.

Winner's case highlights a concern journalists have frequently cited in recent months. President Trump has publicly demanded the prosecution of people who leak government secrets.

The Intercept, which reported the information allegedly leaked by Winner, has come under fire by critics who say the media outlet gave the government crucial clues about where its reporting was from. The website shared its leaked document with the government, which apparently helped officials narrow their search for the source.

Goldman did not criticize The Intercept on Sunday. But he said journalists and editors who deal with classified material "need to be thinking about ways to protect the people providing them information."

For example, he said, that could mean reporting on the content of crucial documents without publishing the papers themselves.

Publishing the full documents, he added, creates a "road map" that officials can use to find who might have handled them.

"Reporters are enamored with these top secret documents, but we don't always need to publish the top secret documents to tell the stories," he said.